when i can't come up with the words
just want to steal a pretty turn of phrase
from some far greater poet
"i almost wiped myself out like grease"
"slid down the sink like butter"
lovely kitchen metaphors that i borrowed
from Michèle Roberts
without so much as asking her leave
want to use grand and glorious words
beautiful spiritual objects that immediately
bring the reader to a peaceful or tumultuous state of mind
i'll speak of the moon shrinking silently across the northern sky
as the cool breeze whispers her loving good nights
i'll want to speak of stars shivering in the distance
but, no, Neruda won't fall pray to by cruel thievery
not tonight, anyway
the heavy clouds release a poison
disguised as autumn rains
and fall upon the colored leaves, the oranges and the reds
they bleed the yellows, the burning browns away
as though it had been dye all along
what fools we were, what goddamn fools
to believe we had known a higher power
i want to quote Alice Walker now
but the stomach for her optimism
was taken away through seppuku
or will be shortly
if you will allow
this painful attempt
to be my death verse
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